Book Report – The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

STRUCTURE:
Book Report
Book reports must be a minimum of 700 words. The font should be 12 point Times New Roman.
Try to use a title that captures the essence of your paper rather than simply using the book title.
Refer to the book report rubric for grading.

THE INTRODUCTORY PARAGRAPH
The introduction should be a minimum of five sentences and include the title of the book and the
author. Generally, a strong introduction begins with the general and moves to a specific thesis
statement. The introduction should set the tone for the paper and offer some insight into the content.

BODY
The body of the paper will vary depending on the type of book selected. Remember to discuss each
topic introduced in your thesis statement in a separate paragraph. Each paragraph should be a
minimum of five sentences. For a biography, share the major events in the subject’s life and discuss how
the events shaped the life of the person. For a nonfiction book, provide an overview of the
author’s presentation of the main subject in the book and compare and contrast your own ideas
regarding that subject.
For a fiction book, select one of the following options:
(1) Identify the most important theme of the book and provide an analysis of that theme.
(2) Describe how the setting contributed to the overall mood, feeling, lesson or theme of the book.
(3) Complete a character analysis.
(4) Compare the conflict and resolution of this book to one you have read in the past. This may
include external conflicts such as outside forces or internal conflicts such as a personal struggles that
the characters experience.

EVALUATING PARAGRAPH
The evaluating paragraph should be a minimum of five sentences. Discuss your personal thoughts
about the book, including any positive and negative points of view. For a fiction book, include your
views on how any conflicts in the plot were resolved. Discuss how the book influenced your
thinking, goals in life, etc. Use examples from the book to support your statements. Discuss whether
you agree or disagree with the author’s perspective.

SUMMARY
The summary should be a minimum of five sentences and be an explanation of whether or not
you would recommend the book. Give reasons to support your recommendation.

CONCLUDING PARAGRAPH
The concluding paragraph should be a minimum of five sentences. Your conclusion should leave the
reader with some type of parting word and tie everything together to put it in perspective for the
reader.
When writing about the character/characters (What to consider)

CHARACTER ANALYSIS
Fiction books always have main characters. For the character analysis, describe one of the main
characters in the book in detail in essay form. Use the questions on this page to guide you in your
analysis of the character.

PERSONALITY OF THE
CHARACTER
How does the author describe the character?
What are the character’s words, actions, reactions, feelings, movements, thoughts, or mannerisms?
What are the character’s ethics? Does he or she make just or unjust choices?
Character Role
Is the character a protagonist or an antagonist?
How do the actions of the character move the plot forward? What is the character’s motivation? Why is
The character acting in a particular way? What is the importance of the character to the story? What are
the effects of the character’s behavior on other characters?
What kinds of relationships does the character have with other characters?

CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT
Is the character flat or round, static or dynamic? What struggles does the character encounter?
How does the character grow and change throughout the boo